Ghosts Of Divas Past
by jcott3
Summary: One-shot. On her last night in WWE, Victoria reflects on her career and those who helped shape it.


**GHOSTS OF DIVAS PAST**

Summary: On her last night in WWE, Victoria reflects on her career and those who helped shape it. Victoria's thoughts are in _italics_.

Disclaimer: All WWE names, ... are owned by Vince McMahon. I gain nothing from this. Reviews are always welcomed.

_(A/N: In honor of Lisa Marie Varon's 40th birthday earlier this month, I decided to tweak this one and repost it. Enjoy.)_

Smackdown, backstage, January 12, 2009

Victoria had just finished her warm-ups and was waiting for the call for her match. It was a bittersweet time for her, as this was to be her last match in WWE. Part of her was sad to be leaving the company she called 'home' for so long, but another part of her was relieved for it to be over, given the way the last couple of years went.

Earlier, Stephanie McMahon had been in to see her. Stephanie thanked her for all the years she worked for WWE on behalf of the McMahon family and, as a farewell gift, presented Victoria with a photo album of some of her more memorable moments. The photos were all 8 by 10 glossies taken by the WWE's photography department. Victoria thanked her, gave her a hug and returned to her warm-ups without looking at it. Now that she had a few minutes to kill before her match, she sat down on a bench in the Divas dressing room, picked up the album and started looking through it.

The first photo was from when she first came into the WWF as one of the Godfather's 'hos', posing beside the Godfather along with another girl, Mandy. She turned the page, and there was the moment her life in the wrestling business changed. The Godfather had renounced his pimping ways and joined the group Right To Censor. To drive it home that he was no longer the same person, here he was powerbombing her through a table. _Who would have guessed that people would react that loudly to a man beating up a woman? When I heard that crowd reaction, I knew I wanted more of it. Once I got backstage, I told JR I wanted to become a wrestler and he arranged for me to go to Memphis and get trained soon afterwards. Life would never be the same._ On the opposite page was a picture from the following week. Wearing a neck brace, she and Mandy were holding picket signs and leading a 'Save The Hos' campaign._ Whatever happened to you, Mandy?_

She turned the page, and there were her first publicity stills from when she came back to the now-WWE in 2002. One of her alone, and one with her 'boyfriend', Steven Richards. _Steven, some say you weren't playing with a full deck, but we were definitely a pair. You showed me that this business was a lot more than what goes on in the ring. You showed me the fine art of being 'entertaining'. I don't think anyone ever gave you enough credit for how great you were at that. Some thought you were done after Right To Censor ran its course and were relegated to Heat, but you made it work for you. Thanks._

The next pictures were from her first program with Trish Stratus. _Oh, my God, I was such a psycho bitch back then. Trish, my dear old friend. I was so glad when I found out my first program would be with you, somebody I already knew. You were so great to work with. Whenever I was nervous during those early matches, you always knew what to say to calm me down. Everyone loved you so much. I wish I could have been half as loved as you were._ The last one was from the night she defeated Trish to become Women's Champion. _The streetfight match. What were we thinking when we signed on for that one? We were both hurting for days after that, but I didn't care. When Vince told me I was going to be Women's Champion, I was so overjoyed that nothing could have fazed me._

Victoria turned another page. The pictures there were from WrestleMania 19: one of her entrance as Women's Champion, followed by a shot from the match itself._ I was so proud to be at WrestleMania, in front of all those people. I may have been the champion, but I was a nervous wreck going into that. Thank God for Trish and Jazz. They went through it last year and knew what to do to have a great match. Jazzy, you had a scowl that could cut bone and may have been the biggest female badass I've ever known, but I knew you had a heart of gold under that tough exterior. You had some bad breaks with injuries, but I think that might have been just to keep you on a level playing field with the rest of us._

Next up were two pictures from a battle royal that June. _I remember that one. Jazzy got hurt and had to drop the title that night. I had the most eliminations and I was there right up to the end, but the winner was the new girl, Gail Kim. Gail, I know this was your first WWE match and you were still a little rough around the edges, but I saw great potential in you that night. I just wish Vince hadn't been so impatient and cut you only a year later. I was glad to see you stayed in wrestling, went to TNA and became the star I knew you could be. You go, girl!_

Victoria turned the page. The two photos there were from her historic match with Lita: the first - and only - women's match in WWF/E history to take place inside a steel cage. _Lita, you were my hero when I came into WWE. You were not only beautiful, you were also completely fearless. Absolutely amazing to watch and fantastic to work with. I knew you'd just come back from a broken neck and I offered to go easy on you in this one, but you wouldn't hear of it. I remember how angry we both were when the management wouldn't let us get bloody for this match. Why couldn't we do what the guys do all the time? Because we might ruin our pretty faces. Some say you made a huge mistake getting involved with Edge, but your life is your business, and I love ya no matter what._

Victoria turned some more pages. First was a shot of her holding up the Women's Championship belt after she won it for a second time, followed by pictures from WrestleMania 20 and ending with her victory celebration that night – shaving Molly Holly's head! _Molly, my little big sister. So young, but so much experience. Memphis and Ohio Valley may have taught me how to wrestle, but you were the one who taught me how to have a match. You even taught me the Widow's Peak. You wanted to go to WrestleMania so badly that when Vince said he wasn't going to have a women's title match that year, you volunteered to shave your head to get us on the card. You are a better person than I, because I could have never gone through with that. I know you left WWE to 'find your place in the world', and I hope you've found it. I also hope we haven't seen the last of you in the ring. You're too young and too talented to be retired. _

Victoria turned the next page. Before her was a group photo with the other women as they congaed in for the Diva Dodgeball game at SummerSlam 2004. Up until this moment, she had been happily enjoying her trip down Memory Lane but now her blood began to boil. _That DAMN Diva Search! What were they thinking, hiring a bunch of gorgeous no-talent Barbie dolls, putting them in a bunch of stupid contests and giving the winner a contract for more money than most of us women were making? Most of them never amounted to anything. And this - having us play a game of dodgeball against them - and LOSE! That was the ultimate insult. Even worse, they tried to use it to create a feud between me and Trish. I love Trish dearly, but surely a bunch of 'professional TV writers' could come up with something better than that piece of crap!_ As she continued looking at the photo, she couldn't help thinking about one woman who was NOT in the picture. _In came the Barbies, and out went Jacqueline. How could they do that to you, Jackie? You were the best female in-ring worker they had, possibly of all time. You'd done everything - been Women's Champ twice, Cruiserweight Champ, a ref, a trainer, and a dear friend to all - how could they say they had nothing for you?_

On the opposite page was another group photo. This one featured her and the others backstage before the 2004 Taboo Tuesday Fulfill Your Fantasy battle royal. All of them wore schoolgirl outfits, as chosen by the fans. Victoria had mixed emotions as looked at the picture. _That was fun, getting dressed up for that one. The fans loved it, even if it wasn't exactly a watershed moment in women's history. Sadly, it turned out to be the women's division's last hurrah. A few weeks later, Jazzy, Gail and Nidia all got released to make way for more Barbies. Oh, Nidia, my Ohio Valley classmate. You were coming along so well and you were really going places. I know you could have been champion if they hadn't cut you. I'm not sure who got it worse, though: you three or Molly. At least when you all got released, it was quick and it was over. Molly got reduced to an 'enhancement talent' because she wouldn't be a piece of cheesecake like the Barbies. She went from being Women's Champion to losing every match she was in and having to take the fall in all the tag matches. She never complained, but I could see how miserable she really was. When she was finishing up after asking for her release, I had to fight them to let me put her over just once, to thank her for everything she did for me. Worst of all, when she left, not only did I lose another friend, but now I was the one stuck having to train the Barbies._

Victoria got a surprise when she turned the page and saw the next picture: her being interviewed on TV by Ivory. _Oh my God! Ivory, our mother hen. One of the few women in the company who was older than I was. You also helped teach me the fine art of cutting a promo. My style may have been slightly different from yours, but you were a big help. I know you were getting up there in years, but they could have found something for you to do instead of letting you go. I know you're happy with your life outside of wrestling now, but I still miss you._

When she looked at the opposite page, the smile fully returned to Victoria's face as she saw the group photo of her with Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle. _Vince's Devils, the Ladies In Pink. Torrie, my oldest friend in this crazy business. I didn't get to see you much when I came back from Ohio Valley. I was on Raw and you were on Smackdown, but now we were together. It was so great finally getting to work with you and later against you. Candice, I hope I wasn't too rough on you. Ha-ha! You know I didn't mean to break your nose, but I'm glad it didn't make you quit. Pro wrestling isn't as easy or as glamorous as it looks, but you stuck with it and made it to the top. You earned it. If it hadn't been for that broken clavicle, you could have been another Trish._

Another page turned, and the two pictures there were of her in the ring with two of the Diva Search winners: 2004 winner Christy Hemme, and 2005 winner Ashley Massaro. _Christy, you're a nice, beautiful girl, but you shouldn't have gotten that huge push when you first came in. You weren't ready. If Vince hadn't driven everybody out to make room for you and the other Barbies, you could have been brought up right and maybe you could have been something in WWE. I'm glad you stayed in wrestling after your release and went to TNA. You proved me wrong about your desire for this business. Ashley, I remember how happy you were when you won the Diva Search. You couldn't wait to start training. Unlike the others, you understood the wrestling aspect of this job, with your father and brother being amateur wrestlers. I wish the others had had your drive to learn how to work in the ring. I know you had problems with injuries and your daughter getting sick, but I hope everything works out for you._

Victoria turned another page and there was a moment she preferred to forget about: the blow where she broke Beth Phoenix's jaw._ Why did they have to put THAT one in? Beth, I know I said it to you after the match, but I'll say it again: I'm sorry. I know it took a long time and a lot of surgery to put your jaw back together, but you finished the match and only stayed out of action for two months. You have more guts than every Barbie in this company put together. Of course, while they were working on their looks, you worked on your wrestling skills, and it shows. They can't hold a candle to you. You may be the current Women's Champion, but I think you're destined for bigger things. I honestly believe YOU are the one who will take the women's division to a new high point. Don't let me down._

On the opposite page was a backstage shot with Trish Stratus, from Trish's last night in 2006. _Trish, I hated seeing you leave. I know your back was bothering you and your wedding was coming up, but I still didn't want to see you go. When you left, along with Lita a few months later, it marked the end of an era and you deserved the hero's sendoff you got. It's not the same without you, but whenever you visited after that, it was like you never left._

Turning another page, Victoria saw photos of herself with then-Women's Champion, Mickie James. One picture was of her getting her hand raised after beating Mickie in a non-title match in late 2006, and the other was of them in the ring in a rematch at New Year's Revolution 2007 with the title on the line. _Mickie, most people thought you were some newbie when you showed up in WWE as Trish's obsessed fan, but I knew about your time in the indies and TNA. You're a great in-ring performer and you deserved to be the go-to girl when Trish left. I just wish I had been able to beat you so I could have been Women's Champion one more time, but we can't always get what we want in life._

The next few pages saw Victoria in some of the costumes she'd worn for theme matches: two of her as a sumo wrestler from the Halloween battle royal in 2007, one of her as a gymnast from the Olympic-themed tag team match in summer 2008, and her banana costume from the Diva Halloween Costume Contest in 2008. _The other girls always seemed to go for something sexy, but I wanted to have some fun with those dress-up matches. We seemed to be having a lot more of those as time went by and I wanted to entertain the crowd a little by doing something more than just showing a lot of skin. I couldn't even get down the ramp without falling down in that sumo outfit. Some people couldn't figure out what I was thinking, but it was simple: I make myself heavier, and thus, harder to throw out. Perfectly logical, right? It hurt when I did a tumble on the steel ramp when I came out as a gymnast for that 'Olympic match', but since gymnasts are usually cutesy and I'm a psycho, it made for an amusing sight. Some people didn't understand the banana outfit without the "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" song, but it was fun. I had a hard time trying to wrestle in that outfit, but it was worth the reaction I got from the fans._

Turning the page again, she saw pictures from her recent tag match with Natalya against the Bella Twins, Brie and Nikki. _Nattie, my 'best friend'. The first female third-generation superstar. You're a great wrestler and a great talker, and you'll go far in this business. You're too good to just be a valet, even if it is your boyfriend and your cousin. As for the Barbie Twins, you two have more beauty and less ring talent than anyone I know. If Vince didn't like you so much, you'd be nothing. Go back to vogueing on the runway and leave wrestling for the people who actually GIVE A CRAP ABOUT IT!_

As Victoria waited for her blood pressure to return to normal, she realized she'd reached the end of the album. The last two pages had no pictures and there was a note stuck on the last one. It said, "These pages are for pictures of your last match. Make it a good one. Thanks for all your hard work over the years and good luck wherever life takes you. We love you. Signed, Stephanie, Shane, Linda and Vince." A smile came across Victoria's face as she read the note. _Awww, they like me. They really, really like me._ With that, she closed the album and went to put it in her bag.

As she put it away, Michelle McCool came into the Divas dressing room, catching her by surprise. Michelle told her, "We're up next. You ready?"

Victoria smiled at her opponent for this last night, stood up and said, "Yeah, I'm ready, Meesh. Let's go."


End file.
